CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- I'm not sure that the vote had even been finalized in the election of new state Republican Party Chairman Mike Stuart before I started getting voicemails from moderate Republicans.

They're concerned that, with his ties to the Tea Party movement and as head of the very appropriately named West Virginia Conservative Foundation, Stuart will move the party too far to the right -- instead of appealing to moderate Democrats in the state who might feel that their party leaders nationally have jumped too far to the left.

"He's a smart guy," one caller said. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid his political opinions will outweigh his intellect."

Asked about those concerns, Stuart told me, "I happen to be a conservative, but I'm also a big-tent Republican."

In a state where about 70 percent of voters identify themselves as conservative, regardless of party ties, Stuart said one of his roles as chairman will be to reach out to independent and conservative Democratic voters to convince them to vote Republican in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

In particular, Stuart said, he's heard from a lot of Democrats who are still hopping mad that Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., hosted a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who's not exactly a friend of coal, at his Charleston home last month.

Stuart believes that if the GOP can play on that anger and disenchantment, Republicans can pick up some seats -- in state and congressional races -- this fall and in 2012.

I also asked Stuart if he thought the National Republican Senatorial Committee was making a strategic error by trying to portray Gov. Joe Manchin as a Barack Obama-Harry Reid-Nancy Pelosi liberal in campaign ads and releases.

(Republican special election challengers John Raese and Mac Warner have tried the same strategy. Of course, from Raese's perspective, almost everybody is liberal.)

Stuart said he believes that, as a Democratic senator, Manchin would be under a great deal of pressure to vote with the party, even on issues he has opposed as governor.

"Here's what I think they're trying to say," Stuart said of the NRSC ads. "There's a big difference between a Governor Manchin and a [U.S] Senator Manchin."

(So far, the NRSC is sitting out the special primary, which may indicate the national GOP doesn't have much enthusiasm for the 10-candidate field for Sen. Robert C. Byrd's unexpired term.)

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Speaking of Republicans, there's been polling going on in the past week regarding the 2011 race for mayor of Charleston, an office currently occupied by Danny Jones.

The poll starts out by asking about one's approval/disapproval of Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, Gov. Manchin, County Commissioners Kent Carper and Dave Hardy and Mayor Jones.

It then asks whom the interviewee would be likely to support in hypothetical mayor's races, pitting Jones against Carper, or Jones against Hardy.

Additional questions ask about one's support or opposition to the proposed $40 million East End library, as well as for the recent improvements at Haddad Riverfront Park.

The final question asks the interviewee if he/she is aware that Mayor Jones had fought to keep state government offices headquartered in Charleston.

I talked to two of the three individuals named in the poll, Commissioners Carper and Hardy, and both said they had not commissioned the poll.

Carper, in fact, went so far as to say he would consider it a demotion to go from commission president to mayor.

Mayor Jones was not reachable for comment Friday afternoon.

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Ever since it drew criticism in 2007 when 26 members went to a Council of State Governments conference at a resort in Puerto Rico (making it the largest delegation at the conference, including the host), the Legislature has cut back on its travel to out-of-state conferences and conventions.

Only eight legislators signed up for the National Conference of State Legislature's Legislative Summit last Sunday through Wednesday in Louisville, Ky.

In the Senate, only Education Chairman Robert Plymale, D-Wayne, made the trip. (There were a bunch of education issues on the agenda.) Attending from the House were: Delegates Bonnie Brown, Meshea Poore and Danny Wells, all D-Kanawha;John Doyle, D-Jefferson; Bill Hamilton, R-Upshur; Charlene Marshall, D-Monongalia; and Finance Chairman Harry Keith White, D-Mingo.

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Finally, when Manchin announced he was running for Senate on July 20, first lady Gayle Manchin was noticeably absent -- and Manchin said she was attending the annual family vacation at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

In fact, flight records for Manchin's personal Piper Saratoga show that he made an overnight trip from Charleston to Myrtle Beach on July 18-19 -- in the midst of the special session on senatorial succession.

On July 21, Manchin flew himself back to Myrtle Beach, where he stayed for the remainder of the week.

This past Wednesday, Manchin flew the Saratoga to Lewisburg to attend The Greenbrier Classic PGA golf tournament.

Reach Phil Kabler at ph...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1220.